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Monday, June 21, 2010

ROGER FEDERER: Well, the thing here, there's no bad bounces. You can just stick at the baseline, half volley, not panic when a guy moves in. You can always flick it at the end. Obviously they're not the fastest courts anymore. Depends obviously how you play, as well.

If you've got a massive serve and you can just outright overpower a guy, then obviously it's fast. But a guy who is that agile at the baseline like Falla makes it very difficult to play against, because he can neutralize you, plays a flat ball, doesn't miss much. You've got to take chances. Today the chances I took were not working.

Q. You'll see a more muted response here to what you were wearing here than in Paris?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Here it's all about white. There is no illusion this time. My dress was inspired by Tina Turner. So, you know, still had the lace motif. I think it's just a fun, elegant dress.

Q. How inspired by her?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Tina Turner? I love her. I love Tina Turner. Obviously, she's just an amazing, amazing artist, just a survivor. She reinvented herself. Plus she looks great. I've loved her forever. So the dress is really inspired by her.

Q. You had to wait over four hours to get on Court 1 today. What did you do in that time?

ANDY RODDICK: Play some Monopoly. Dominated some Scrabble. I watched some tennis. Watched some football. That was pretty much it.

Q. Trying to win here was your major motivating force I think for coming back. Does that put a lot of pressure on you?

JUSTINE HENIN: No, I don't ‑‑ I mean, it's been one of the reasons why I decided to come back. When I saw Roger winning the French Open, I started to say, Well, I miss Wimbledon. That will be fantastic. I don't know if it will happen one day.

That remains a dream for me. In another way, I'm very realistic as it's a year of transition, and I had some opportunities in the past, you know, that I could never take.

But still a few more to come. But I don't put a lot of pressure on myself at the moment as I know it's been very good things in this season, but some ups and downs.

The pressure of a Grand Slam is always different. Physically, mentally and emotionally it takes much more from you.

So if I can make it one day, that would be, I mean, an amazing achievement, you know, thinking about this little girl that was dreaming of winning a Grand Slam. It's the only one I never won in the past, so that would be fantastic.

I hope it become a goal one day and true. But it's still very early to think about this.

Q. After the match, Roger Federer said he should have lost that match. Do you agree with that?

ALEJANDRO FALLA: Of course. I knew I had a big chance serving for the match. He told me that I play amazing after the match. So it's true. I knew I was playing very well since the beginning. I just wanted to go out to the court and play my best.

I played him three times in one month, in the last three tournaments. So I was kind of used to play against him. But, well, I am happy because I play a great match. I got to keep working because I have to improve still a few things. But I'm happy because I play very well today.

Q. Months after the US Open, how do you look at that period of your life?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, I don't look back at it that much. Obviously, I kind of live in the moment. But it's a beautiful memory, obviously. You know, I was very happy that I was able to share it with my family.

But it was at the time also confusing, just because of the changes, you know, throughout that whole year that had happened. But it's a beautiful memory. Yeah, we cherish it very deeply.

THE MODERATOR: Can we change language now?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Chinese (laughter)?

Q. Is this the trickiest Grand Slam for you? Because you say you have to adapt fast to grass and get your act together as quick as possible.

JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, you know, it's a totally different game. You know, the points are very short. Uhm, there's not really much time for anything, you know. You got to get your first ‑‑ you know, whoever gets the first strike most likely wins the point. And especially serving well and returning well are the most important things.

You know, adjusting, finding your timing and your movement, I think it's completely different, of course, to, you know, clay courts or hard courts. But I'm trying my best, you know, to get used to it.

Q. Would it be to you the most elusive of all the Grand Slams for you to win, the most difficult to win?

JELENA JANKOVIC: Probably this one (laughter). Especially for me, I didn't have much time to practice on grass. You know, I didn't play any warmup tournament before this. So today was my first match. It's never easy. You know, it's a completely different game.

Q. Sport and tennis is a game of highs and lows. I guess you've gone from being incredibly high in Paris last month to being very disappointed today. What went wrong out there for you?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Was tough match. Was different surface, different feeling.

But she played very good and I didn't take my chance maybe in the second set. It's much more easy when you don't serve so good and when you don't catch your chance, particularly on the grass.

Q. How has the last month since Paris been for you? How have you celebrated? What have you done to get focused again?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: I work like every day I did in my life. Of course, you can enjoy. But at the end you have to come back to work.

***I may update this post with a Nole and/or Rochi quote about their 5-setter. That's if they give as good as the gave today.

UPDATE:

Q. Do you feel like you got out of jail tonight?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Meaning on...

Q. As in you were lucky to escape with a win tonight?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I don't think I was too lucky. Actually, I had a kind of big match and big challenge with myself. As soon as I was starting to play aggressive and well, I

was winning in the match. Fourth and fifth set, especially in the fifth set, I showed the real game, the game that I should play.

You know, it was great match, of course. Rochus is a very tricky player, especially on grass. He has a very low balance and he rarely gives you free points. You have to work for all the points.So I dropped the level of serve, and I started to give him too much opportunities and he used it. So that's why I did have a big struggle against him. But I was very happy that in the end I managed to find the real game.

Q. Whenever you went off for the break to bring the roof across, what did your team say to you to get you geared up for the remainder of the match?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you know, it is all part of the sport, and you have to deal with it. I think the break kind of helped me a little bit, because I didn't feel great at that moment on the court. So to have a little half an hour of the break and just relax and focus and reset my game and my mind was helpful.

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